NOAA SCIENTISTS BATTLE OCEAN GHOSTNETS April 29, 2005  Thousands of miles from any human habitation, fishing nets hundreds of meters long and balls of net tens of meters across, lost or abandoned by their former owners but still an environmental hazard, foul huge swaths of the Pacific Ocean. However, the sheer mass of those […]
NOAA READJUSTS THE NATIONAL SPATIAL REFERENCE SYSTEM USING HIGH ACCURACY GPS DATA Beginning in June 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will perform a general readjustment of the horizontal position and ellipsoidal heights in the National Spatial Reference System using high accuracy global positioning system data. The NSRS is a consistent national coordinate system […]
House Transportation Committee Reports Delaware River Bill Incorporating Changes Requested by NOAA: On April 27th, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Chair Don Young, R-AK) reported unanimously HR 1412, the Delaware River Protection Act. The bill would amend the Ports and Waterways Safety Act so that the Coast Guard is notified of waterway obstacles and […]
COAST GUARD SUSPENDS SEARCH FOR MISSING BOY OFF CAPE MAY ATLANTIC CITY – Coast Guard crews and Cape May units have ended searches for a 14-year-old boy who fell overboard from a charter vessel off Cape May, N.J., today. Coast Guard Sector Field Office Atlantic City received the call from the charter vessel WHALE WATCHER […]
WATERWAY NAVIGATION RESTRICTED IN OREGON INLET PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Boaters should use extreme caution when transiting through Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina beginning May 2 due to construction on the Bonner Bridge. The auxiliary channel in Oregon Inlet will be closed because of construction barge operations and temporary mooring piles put […]
Public Meetings to Evaluate Atlantic For-Hire Survey; May 17-25 As part of continued efforts to improve the accuracy and availability of recreational data for the Atlantic Coast, NOAA Fisheries Service will be hosting four regional meetings to obtain feedback from industry on the For-Hire Survey. In particular, we would like to share 2004 survey results […]
Atlantic Shark Quotas, Dates Set for Commercial Fishery NOAA Fisheries Service has set seasonal commercial quotas for large coastal sharks; small coastal sharks; and pelagic, blue, and porbeagle sharks. The quotas are effective May 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005. In addition, NOAA Fisheries Service has established the opening and closing dates for the large […]
Tour Boat Fined for Harassment of Endangered Humpback Whales NOAA has charged the captain of a tour vessel, the vessel’s managing company, and the vessel’s owner with a $9,000 Notice of Violation and Assessment for violations of the Endangered Species Act. In August 2002, the Juneau-based tour boat was conducting a wildlife viewing cruise in […]
Purse Seine Fleet Capacity; Tuna Tracking Program Updated NOAA Fisheries Service has published a final rule to implement resolutions adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and by the parties to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program. This rule will establish a register of U.S. vessels with a history of fishing in […]
Ecosystem Approach Is Focus of International Aquaculture Workshop More than 65 experts from around the world recently participated in the first International Workshop on the Role of Aquaculture in Integrated Coastal Management, held in Hawaii, April 18-21, 2005. Co-sponsored by several NOAA programs, and facilitated by the Oceanic Institute, this unique workshop drew aquaculturists, ecologists, […]
